


im not afraid to share my family (because i love you)

by Reign0931



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto) Feels, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto)-centric, Fix-It, Gen, No SasuSaku here everyone, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Relationships, Sakura Wants to Share Her Family, Sakura loves Everyone, chosen family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-06 21:32:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18859516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reign0931/pseuds/Reign0931
Summary: Sometimes, when it comes to love, you don't have to understand what the person is going through in order for you to be there for them.OrWhile Sakura may never understand what Sasuke-kun felt when he lost his family, or the feelings Naruto carry until now when he knows nothing about his parents, or the sometimes wistful and yet pained gaze Kakashi-sensei gets when she mentions the antics of her dad, what she could do is bring them into her family instead. It could never replace theirs, but no one said you could only have one kind of family.





	im not afraid to share my family (because i love you)

**Author's Note:**

> lolololol here we go again, couldn't sleep one night and i suddenly had this in my head, hope you guys enjoy !!

Sakura has this tornado in her heart that yearns for her home. She misses the warmth of the sun, the whirl of Konoha's own fresh air in her pink hair. She misses the rush of running around her village as a child, and missed the feeling of leisurely walking from one store to another.

What she misses the most however, is the smell of her father's cooking, of his jovial laughter that resounded throughout the house, and the warm hugs he gave as he twirled both she and her mother around their home. What she misses the most was the sound of her mother sharpening her kunai, of her mother running her fingers through Sakura's hair - and the small pieces of indulgence that she would give to her only daughter, in her own gruff way.

Sakura is a kunoichi, and with it came a sense of being an adult in the eyes of her fellow ninjas - but more than that, she is both still a girl and a child, and she lived longer as both, and she so desperately wants to go back home and the familiarity and warmth it afforded her.

"Sensei, we're near now, aren't we?" Sakura asks, as she thumbs through her hair, and presses down on her clothes, as an erratic energy seemed to consume her very being.

Her being, that was once only a girl and a child, but now a kunoichi and an adult - and now a blossom who knows the consequences of the wind that could tear her apart from what she knows.

Sakura who now knows the never-ending possibilities of what she could lose, of the innocence and naivete she had _lost_ , of how not being good enough could lead to her losing the ones she liked, of losing the ones she was just starting to cherish.

Haziness becomes her best friend, as she stares at a figure far away that only she could seem to see. She sees that boy, _Haku, his hame is Haku_  Naruto had said, with his long, dark brown hair, the color of the tree trunks in Konoha, those that were the sturdiest of them all. She sees him, and sees herself in him, and Sakura wants to vomit because that boy is dead _dead_ , and she remembers for a few minutes (or hours that Sakura could not seem to admit), that it could have been any of them, but it had been him because he decided it so, and Sakura saw how his devotion sought to protect every inch of that man's _Zabuza's_  frame.

And that man, Sakura saw, even though he may not admit it to himself even in the afterlife, that he reciprocated every piece of that same devotion with his own. She remembers how every glance and strike, each weapon and any man could not ever seem to advance, how each possible hurt or bruise or blood could not _would not_  be allowed near that little boy. Because yes, Haku was just a little boy, as Sakura was just a little girl, of how her own boys were just children (Sakura knows that now), and their teachers shared the same value of _protect_ and applied it in their own ways.

Because Haku was a little boy, and Zabuza was a little man, and in the end they were just still children in the smallest sense of the word, who sought to keep what could be kept.

Sakura knows that now.

Because she is the same, and now more than ever, she wants to keep what could be kept by her side, close to her heart, where it should always be.

She glances at the back of their small formation, at their sensei as he hums in agreement. Kakashi turns another page in his book, seemingly distracted, and yet Sakura is more than satisfied. She closes her eyes in Sasuke's silence and the feel of his grumpy presence, and Naruto's chattering at her ear, at all of their ears, and the insults they both exchange.

Sakura closes her eyes, breathes, and something in her chest unfurls just a bit, just enough, and somehow she is content.

Somehow, she can lengthen her patience, she can stuff her irritation at the fact that home was still too far away inside the box in her soul, she can even attempt to ignore the grunginess of her appearance and the greasy feel of her hair sticking to her skin, because they were here just beside her, they were not dead in any sense of the word -

And for now, that is more than just enough.

 

* * *

 

As she notices the trees becoming darker and richer in color, and the ground that they walk on become more stable in the way that only Konoha could ever provide them, Sakura knows that she is almost home. A little smile grows at the side of her mouth, like her own secret, and she walks a tad faster.

 _Soon._ She whispers to herself, and yet soon could not be soon enough.

She embraces the feel of the warmth on her skin, the wind at her hair, the freshness of the trees, and the sound of the water steadily rushing around them (almost friendly, as if it was welcoming her home; sometimes, Sakura wonders). Whether they were purely ample gifts of their Shodaime to the people he swore to lead and protect or they were just the benefits of strategic planning of where Konoha would be built, this Sakura does not know, but it was home.

The first thing Sakura sees is their village gates. The tightness in her chest loosens, and she feels that she could breathe easier now. This is the kind of comfort that she would never be willing to let go, this is something that Sakura is sure of. The seclusion that her village provides, a protection that hides them from the world, is something that steadies her heart and her soul, and for all her intelligence and wit, she could never imagine the day that anyone could ever take this away from them all.

But they could.

Sakura knows this now.

Her feet thump against the ground, bits of dust-soil scattering as she quickens her pace. She is hasty, might be unbecoming of a kunoichi who she swears she is, but for this moment Sakura does not care.

Sakura wants to see the warm smiles of their villagers, the energy that the Land of Wave was only starting to gain, the smell of the Konoha-style food that wafted throughout the commercial district, and the younger ones running all over the streets with their own rendition of ninja-tag.

Something in her so desperately wants, and Sakura could only yield.

She spares a grin at the ones guarding the gates as her team passes, and almost makes her escape to just run throughout the village, but their Kakashi-sensei is not distracted enough to let her go so easily. He clutches at the back of her qipao, preventing her to run off to who-knows-where-not-that-she-cared.

"Ah," Kakashi tuts at her, and though it is not what she usually does, Sakura actually grumbles back at him. He blinks, and Sakura catches the slight hint of surprise. "Sakura, we still have to report to the Hokage. I thought you knew."

She did know. She was just too distracted with the idea of being home.

Kakashi pockets his book, and grabs Naruto by his glaringly orange jacket, before he too could attempt to escape. "Really, my cute little students running off on their own, leaving their poor sensei to report back to the Hokage? How cruel."

Sasuke glares at their sensei, and Sakura snickers in her soul and barely manages to let it escape to the outside world, because she was pretty sure that Sasuke was sulking at being grouped together with them as someone "cute and little".

"I'm not small!" Evidently, Naruto does not agree either. Sakura thinks it's because he's still hot-headed about being called out by Tazuna as being the smallest _and_ the most stupid of their little group, never mind that they had made amends and that Tazuna gave his approval of Naruto in his own way.

Sakura does not mind being seen as cute and little, though. There are far more insulting words to be called by.

"Well, I am smaller than you sensei," Sakura agrees wholeheartedly, a teasing lilt in her voice. "And I can't help it if my pink hair literally makes me cuter than all of you. I've got to admit, I _am_ pretty cute."

Kakashi's eyes widen, and he breathes out a laugh, and it stutters out after a brief moment (surprised again, Sakura guesses it at an 85 percent chance), and for now Sakura counts it as her small victory. Sasuke tones down his glare to look at her, and Naruto laughs like there is no tomorrow, and these too are Sakura's own little triumphs.

Kakashi still drags them to the Hokage, and he still gets them to fill out the paperwork they need to do. He guides them throughout most of it, and pushes them out of the office right after to talk to the Hokage on his own. As Naruto shouts goodbye to the Hokage, and waves at them while running, and as Sasuke just looks at her and then starts walking away, Sakura has the belated realization that they are dismissed and she is finally allowed to leave.

Sakura slowly walks out of the office, and takes her time to look at the village around her. She could see the children running around, and some of the villagers nearby doing small chores, and in the normalcy, Sakura finds her peace.

She picks up three orders of her favorite anko dango sold by the nice, old Yamamoto-obaa-san. Sakura gets a discount just because she had always been favored by Yamamoto-obaa-san, even as a small child too insecure for her own good, which her Tou-chan has always been admittedly jealous of. She grins at the thought of his sulky disposition, and of her Kaa-chan's nearly quiet, teasing laughter.

Sakura quickens her pace.

Her heart always knows where it wants to go, after all.

 

* * *

 

 

Sakura breaks out into a run, as soon as she catches a sight of her home. She is giddy, much like a small child, and she is not embarrassed to be. She could indulge herself, just this once. She slams the door open, and quickly toes off her sandals by the door.

"Kaa-chan, Tou-chan!" Sakura shouts in glee. "I'm home!"

Already, Sakura could smell the faint spices coming from the kitchen, and the sizzle of the pans clanging at the stove. She rushes through the house, and once she catches sight of her mother's back, she jumps at her like a mini koala.

Mebuki grunts, and grasps at Sakura's arms to peel her away. Sakura hugs her for all that it is worth, and Kizashi laughs at Mebuki's predicament.

"Princess," Mebuki scolds her; Sakura just grins back. As Mebuki lightly pinches her cheek, exasperated, Sakura knows she has won.

Mebuki pats her head, Kizashi kisses her forehead, and Sakura feels warm.

Mebuki is still wearing her jounin uniform, Sakura notices, and it means that her Kaa-chan just got home too. She kisses both of their cheeks, and places her anko dango on their dining table. "Kaa-chan, watch these for me please, make sure Tou-chan won't steal some."

Kizashi pouts at her, and Sakura can't help but let out a giggle. Mebuki sighs at the both of them, and Sakura feels the lightness of being more of a little girl than a kunoichi in the presence of her parents. In her home, she has nothing to fear.

Sakura goes to her room, picks out some clothes to change into - a white shirt sown with sakura blossoms, a gift from her late grandmother, and a pair of her usual black leggings - and takes her time showering. Tazuna's house was not blessed with warm water, and this was one of the few luxuries Sakura missed.

As Sakura leaves the bathroom, she takes a lingering glance at the family pictures hanging on their corridor, and feels a bit wistful. Both of her parents had looked younger, and there was one photo that included her old Obaa-sama before she passed away.

Sakura walks back to the kitchen, trying to look at everything that surrounded her all at once. The pale blue walls, the wooden floor, the here-and-there crayon scribbles from Sakura's childhood, her Kaa-chan's extra kunai pouch on their coffee table in the living room, and her Tou-chan's jacket on their couch - these were the things she hasn't seen in weeks.

When she enters the kitchen again, she sees them.

Her mother is sitting by the table, idly flipping through the pages of a small bingo book. Her pale blond hair is swept to a neat ponytail, and she hasn't gone through the effort of changing out of her jounin uniform. Her father is standing by their stove, idly mixing the pan with his chopsticks. His red hair is messy and sticking out everywhere, much like hers when she has just slept the night away.

Sakura lingers by the open door, and she does not know why, but she can't help but try to memorize the scene before her.

(She knows why.)

Her father glances at her, and beckons to her. "Sakura, help me chop the vegetables."

Sakura nods, and comes closer. She pulls out a chopping board from their white rack, and a sharp knife from their wooden holder. She takes the head of cabbage her father placed by the chopping board, and quickly slices them into even, thin pieces. The pan sizzles as Sakura places some cabbage on it, and Kizashi quickly stirs them. Sakura idly continues chopping the different vegetables placed on top of the counter, deep in thought.

"How was your mission?" Mebuki asks her, as she places the bingo book on the table, and Sakura flinches. Mebuki pats her head again, as she goes and takes a few plates to start arranging their small, wooden table.

Sakura is silent, hesitant even, as she ponders on what to say.

(Unbeknown to Sakura, her parents share glances as they notice her reaction. After all, Sakura has never really been a child who wanted to help with the cooking. It was already a red flag.)

Sakura forges on (if only because the small child in her wants to be held by her parents once more).

"...Someone died." Sakura whispers, more to herself than to her parents, as if she is trying to absorb what had happened yet again. She stubbornly keeps her eyes on the chopping board, and precisely cuts the next item. Sakura thinks that she should get a cloth to wipe her face; the air in Konoha has been a bit too humid ever since she arrived, and her face feels a bit sweaty.

Sakura's chopping comes to a stop, as Mebuki gently holds her hand and removes the knife from her grasp. Kizashi turns off their stove, and comes closer to the both of them. "Little flower," Kizashi starts, as he tenderly wipes the tears that Sakura now notices is streaming down her face.

"Tell us everything." Mebuki whispers to her, as her fingers run through Sakura's hair.

Sakura looks at them then, at their eyes filled with so much warmth and comfort, and wishes deep in her heart that she could be gifted with moments like this forever. She so desperately wants to keep them by her side, that they may not leave her in the ways they could.

In the ways that ninjas could.

She looks at them then, and Sakura tells them everything.

(Later on, both Mebuki and Kizashi squish Sakura as they sit on their small couch. Sakura holds a cup of hot cocoa in her hands, a dark green blanket on her lap. Her eyes are red, and she looks haggard, and she _feels_ haggard, but at the same time, she knows she is safe. This, this was something only her family could give her.

And if Sakura does not tell them of how she cried and cried and cried after burying both Haku and Zabuza with her team, of how Naruto stared blankly at the ground, drained of his exuberant energy, of how Sasuke glared at the makeshift tombstones they made as if seeing another in its place, of how Kakashi-sensei used his arms to bring them closer and tried to keep them together, and if her parents noticed -

Well, they knew enough not to ask.)

 

* * *

 

 

In the privacy of her bedroom, as Sakura stares at her headband that signified her role as a kunoichi of Konoha, she wonders.

She wonders if Sasuke had anyone in his empty house, anyone he knew who could give him the comfort of a cup of hot cocoa after a long day. She wonders if Naruto had anyone who would place layers upon layers of blankets upon him, to help him feel safe. She wonders if their sensei had anyone to talk to, even as his mind and his eyes are blank, and as her heart whispers that he always felt too far away from them every time before training.

Sakura reaches out and grasps at the picture frame on the table beside her bed. She stares at a picture filled with three people - Sakura, Mebuki, and Kizashi - and suddenly feels as if it is just a bit empty.

As if it needs more people in it.

For a few minutes (few hours) before sleep tugs her away from the world, Sakura wonders.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a review!


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